Overview. Halfway Through the Year.

So it has come to the 6 month of this 2013 year, and I am quite lucky to have seen some amazing shows so far! my next blog which is in process right now, is Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Cats' but I just wanted to do an overview of all the various shows I have seen, and one way to show it is my collection of programmes.

At the beginning of this blog I posted a photo of my collection on my bed,

and yes it looks like quite a few...but lets have a look at the latest photo I have taken recently...minus my recent programmes from Cats.

 

Safe to say its quite a difference from before, and much more busy, its getting harder to put them on my bed! going to have to find a new place to view them!! but they are all kept safe under my bed.

 

So I hope you are all enjoying my blogs, as I am writing them, its nice to get out how I feel about these shows and express how they impact on myself. So thanks for reading, and I hope that at the end of the year, this collection isn't going to be on my bed but taking over somewhere else! With New Programmes of shows, new and maybe ones to see again! (hopefully Les Miserable! I will see that show!!)

 

So thank you and watch this blog for Cats the Musical on Tour!! :) 

'Falling Slowly' - Once the New Musical -The Phoenix Theatre, London 23.5.13

 

What at first was supposed to be a trip to London to see the MadTrust's West End Eurovision (Blog up soon!) turned out to be so much better! Having travelled up earlier than I thought I was it meant we had some time to kill before heading over to the Dominon Theatre at 11.30pm. What better way to spend it than to see another show! Our choices were Rock of Ages, We Will Rock You, or Once the Musical so we decided to go around and see what seats were available and on top of that the prices.  Our winner was, the newest musical in the West End, 'Once.'

 

Showing at the Phoenix theatre, and was the second time going to this particular theatre having seen Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers' in the past, its one of the small theatre and we got our ticket on the day as I said before.  We were seated in the stalls Row O seats 4 and 5, that were priced at £32.50 with now booking fee (yay) and our view was very good, and non disruptive from those in front of us! So don't feel you need to be so close to the stage and you need the top priced tickets to see this production!

 

 'Once the Musical' is based on the 2006 musical film starring Glen Hansard, and Marketa Irglova, The story follows a Guy, a Dublin Guitarists/Singer-songwriter busker who makes a living by fixing Vacuum cleaners at his Dad's Hoover Repair Shop.  Then there is a Girl who is Czech who plays piano when she can, and does odd jobs by day, looking after her mother and daughter by night. Guy meets Girl, and they hit it off quickly, they get to know each other as the Girl helps the Guy to create a demo disc of his music which he can hopefully land a music contract.  During the same several day period, the Guy and Girl work through their past loves, and reveal their budding love for one another, through their music.  However their love is something that cannot be.

 

I LOVED the film, and the music created by Glen and Marketa are so beautiful, I was really excited about hearing that it was coming to the West End after a lot of success on Broadway in the states.  I wasn't disappointed. The story on stage is just as powerful if not stronger than the story in the film, you are instantly drawn and brought into it by the performers and get lost in the love that the Guy and Girl share and want to scream at them for the stubbornness of them for not pursuing their love, but yet you understand why they can't. That is what makes this story so good! All throughout the performance, the music is played by the performers, no orchestra, no backing track, the instruments are there with the actors, and played right in front of you during the songs and singing.  Enda Walsh the playwright of this production talks about this approach in the program:

 

"I always wanted the actors to be the musicians - to present them honestly and allow the music to be central to their storytelling...I was confident that I could tell the love story but the other story - of peoples potential - of our ability to create things out of nothing - that also needed to be seen and told...it's only people up there with guitars and other instruments telling and singing their way through an everyday love story - but without pretention and shot from the heart-it's become the sweetest strongest thing - it is true ensemble playing. it belongs on stage." 

 

 

Now on to the Staging.

 

The staging design in this production is based around a traditional Irish pub, and never changes throughout, on the walls which you would expect to see many memorabilia, and photos of Irishmen, and country side are all mirrors, with a huge one in the centre of the walls. Created by Bob Crowley the New York Times have described it as:

 

"Bob Crowley's single set, given multifarious life by Natasha Katz's expert lighting, suggests the kind of pub where people come to lose themselves in song as well as drink, and the audience is invited to join an improvised pre-show hootenanny on the stage."

 

 Yes you get to go onto the stage as not only is it a bar in the production, but a bar to the audience and believe me if you love the theatre and to perform, you wont believe the amazing thrill it was to actually stand on a west end stage! to look out into the audience and see what the performers see it just gave me goose bumps and took a lot not to break out into song myself just to see what that felt, but I opted for a drink instead, but it was a nice change and experience that just added that little bit extra!

 

With being a one set performance, it really does allow you to be lost in the story, and focus more on what you are watching then the multiple scene changes one would get in most West End Musicals (not to say that's not a bad thing) but with a story like Once that itself has such a powerful love story it was well suited.  The Mirrors also allowed you to see scenes in different perspectives in certain numbers and Bob Crowley describes:

 

"IF you look in the mirrors, you can see part of a face or part of a hand playing a guitar, they fracture the space, they fracture events. 'Once' is a modern fairy tale in lots of ways.  It's odd and eccentric and told at a bit of an angle, and that's what those mirrors are part of." 

 

 

Now with not many set changes it is easy to focus on those who are performance, and the actors/musicians did not disappoint. The cast was as follows: *in brackets are the instruments they played

 

 

Guy-Declan Bennett (Piano)

Girl - Zrinka Cvitesie (Piano)

Baruska - Valda Aviks (Accordian)

Svec - u/s Robbie White (Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Drums, Cojon)

Billy -Aidan Kelly (Guitar, Cojon, Bodhran)

Eamon - Gareth O'Connor (Mandolin)

Da - Micheal O'Connor (Mandolin)

Ex Girlfriend - u/s Christina Tedders (Violin)

Andre - Jos Slovick (Guitar, Uke, Bass, Conjon, Banjo)

Reza - Flora Spencer-Longhurst (Violin)

Bank Manager - u/s Jaime Cameron (Guitar. Cello, Mandolin)

Emcee - Gabriel Vick (Guitar, Piano, Mandolin, Harmonica, Cajon,Uke, Banjo)

Im going to first discuss the role of the Girl first or quote a quote that playwright Edna Walsh describes Girl in the production:

"The character of the Girl was suddenly a very active presence. where in the movie she was almost ephemeral - for me she became the story's initial engine...She is the instigator of all things. she takes us through the five days - she turns around a musicians' life but suddenly she's falling in love with him.  for all her effervescence she's yearning for a love she knows she can't have. it made the movie so wonderfully bittersweet a love story unfinished - and all the more beautiful for that...I wanted the girl to transform everyone around her. the light she shines on them over the five days affects smaller narratives."

So does Zrinka Cvitesie pull this powerful and important role of the Girl off?  the answer is yes, from the minute she walks through the centre of the audience, she takes the role of the girl exactly as Edna describes her, and she is so funny and natural that you fall in love with her! and wish she was your friend she could help you out and get your life on track! Her playing and singing is beautiful alongside the rest of the ensemble, and you can tell that they love her too.  She does Marketa proud!

But the person she mostly helps is Guy, played by Declan Bennett, and Oh MY GOD, he has made me fall in love with the Irish accent! (kind of was a Scottish accent girl before :p) especially in song, his emotion in his songs are just spot on, every time he sang he gave me goose bumps and you just wanted him not to stop, it was just that good.  But also you can tell that he feels what Guy would have felt for Girl, their relationship on stage was so strong that you just wanted them to kiss already! Declan is such a lovely man having being able to chat at the stage door, a girl asked him how he kept his energy strong for 8 shows a week, he replied that it was the power of the story that helped bring alive his character, that the story its self is what keeps the energy on stage every time its performed because it is that powerful.  You could really tell he was loving performing the show, and you can tell from his twitter account that vocally it is quite demanding cause he is constantly showing all the different voice remedies he uses...keep it up cause to hear that voice is just WOW!

As for the rest of the ensemble, they create not just characters but a family in one.  from the beginning you just see how much fun they are having, and that its not a job but just another night out on the town, or down the pub for a few beers and create beautiful music.  it seems like a great show to be in, and I only wish I carried on my piano lessons in hope that I could be part of it....guess ill just have to go and see it again and just stand on the stage once more instead.

I highly recommend seeing Once, even if you haven't seen the film, I hope that they bring out their own London Recording as from listening on iTunes of the Broadway one its just not the same! So go and get your tickets! I am defiantly going to try and see it again!! I bet it will be at the West End for a while!  :)

All Kinds of Everything! - Mad Trust WestEnd Eurovision 2013 - The Dominon Theatre, London. 23.5.13



 So after having been part of the audience of 'Once' the night was not over!! As after a quick 10 min walk to the Dominion Theatre to attend this years MadTrust West End Eurovision!

I discovered this charity performance whilst looking up videos of various musicals on YouTube, this time was looking up 'Rock of Ages' as I believe I had just booked my tickets to see if for the second time and was getting excited already! One of these videos was the original London cast performing 'Wolves of the Sea' during last years West End Eurovision, so I started to look it up, wanted to know more about it, and most of all was there one this year, and find someone to go with luckily I did, and luckily I got tickets and great seats!

MadTrust's West End Eurovision is a charity late night performance, shown at the Dominion Theatre (home of We Will Rock You) in London. MadTrust or Make a Difference Trust is a charity that provides HIV care, support and education. With a wide range of fundraising idea's and a lot of support, one of these is TheatreMAD, where the West end Supports this amazing charity in doing various charity events, including WestEnd Bares, and a Christmas show. Though tonight on the 23rd May, it was WestEnd Eurovision. This is where 10 top West End shows currently playing compete in there very own Eurovision, by each performing a different song from a past Eurovision and make it there own, they get judged but 2 performers from each of these musicals, given them points like the countries do in the Eurovision ranging from 0 points to 12, and also get voted in by the audience at the end of the show.  They also compete in a video Indent each with its own unique comic approach which gets voted by the public and rewarded with a prize! just look at the MadTrust YouTube account to see each ident from this years they were really good!

This years contenders were:

Top Hat

Viva Forever

Once



A Chorus Line

Phantom of the Opera

Wicked

Mama Mia!

Spamalot

Rock of Ages

Billy Elliot

With an Opening Number by hosts-We Will Rock You

 

Now for me this night was West End celebrity heaven! with loads of cast members wondering about, and also those of television, for while waiting for the show to start I was spotting all those I could find and if I could a chance to speak to them. first off was Graham Norton, for why wouldn't he be there being the commentator of the Eurovision, I only got his autograph but he was very kind enough to have a small chat! But then I saw an oppourtunity to grab Nathan Amzi, from Rock of Ages and ran down to say hi and get a photo.

 

 

Tonight he was not performing but supporting Rock of Ages and Judging the others. Then right before the show started myself and Hayleigh (who was my partner in crime) spotted Jon Robyns, who also was not peforming but Judging for Spamalot, annoyingly we just caught him just as the countdown was starting so we only got a quick autograph and the chat would have to come later!

 

After a countdown had finished and the show had begun, with an opening number of the past Britain Entry's performed by cast of 'We Will Rock You' and there is a reason that they are my favourites! the host tonight was named Richard Gauntlet who was great with his comic moments, he introduced this years celebrity judges, this years were X Factor contestant Rylan Clark, Strictly Come Dancing contestants Russell Grant and Lisa Riley, and Nancy winner Jodie Prenger.  He then went on to host the first half of shows performing for the winning title. The First Half were:

 

A Chorus Line, Performing Party for Everybody (Russia 2012)

Mamma Mia!, Performing Euphoria (Sweden 2012)

Once, Performing All Kinds of Everything (Ireland 1970)

Rock of Ages, Performing Johnny Logan Tribute (Ireland 1980/1987/1992)

Spamalot, Performing Playback (Portugal 1981)

Phantom of the Opera, Performing Hard Rock Hallelujah (Russia 2006)

 

 

The opening of the night was 'A Chorus Line' and they did get the audience going with the comic of dressing as Russian and performing Party for Everyone getting us warmed up, I was laughing so much but their choreography also was amazing, and you can tell by the show that they perform in.

 

Then Mamma Mia! up performing Euphoria which I had no idea was a Eurovision song and quite enjoy to dance to when I'm out in the clubs, they kept it traditional and performed the number with great dancing numbers , and stunning singers (also have to congratulate them on the great professionalism during the technical glitch at the beginning of the performance!).

Then the show I saw that night Once' was up performing a very unique performance of All Kind of Everything with interesting costumes that allowed them to perform out the words of the song in a great comic way, but also they like in their show performed the music also, demonstrating the uniqueness of this musical to the audience in front, which led them to a great ending.  Then Rock of Ages took the stage with a Tribute of Johnny Logan songs that entered into various Eurovisions, and I have to congratulate them on their amazing voices, and you have to love them cause the show is amazing, but being that their last years entry was one of the reasons I was there that night I was looking for something similar, and sadly it wasn't what I was expecting, but either way they did put on a great show! 

Then Spamalot another favourite or mine stood before the audience and performed playback, a very techno approach, and a secret treat with the appearance of Bonnie Langford at the end to seal the deal, and a standing ovataion at the end! Cause my word the lady can still dance and high kick!!

 

Then the last act on for the first act was Phantom of the Opera.  Performing the most winners of 2006 and the one I remember the most Finlands Hard Rock Hallelujah. letting their Rock side out of their operatic show, and you can tell they were enjoying something different, and an original approach to the song, and especially enjoyed the phantom being pushed around with a little drumkit!!

 

 

 And so ended Act one and giving the audience a small break to have a relax and reflect on what they had saw, and a chance for me to do some star scooping, first off seeing as we didn't have a chance to talk before was Jon Robyns and to get a photo, and I was so surprised he actually remembered me from twitter, we chatted briefly about the show and their entry and a quick photo before letting him go and see other people. really need to go and see the show again and see him as Galahad...love him!  

 

Then I grabbed a autograph from Anne Jane Casey, the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, now performing in Billy Elliot and was there supporting as a Judge. Then as returning in my seat I spotted him Oliver Tompsett at the very back of the theatre audience, so a quick jog I went up to have a chat autograph, and a photo, I even spoke to him about never replying to be on twitter with my many tries and he said he would try next time (but to be honest did something much better as he started to follow me on Twitter!! still in shock!) I wished him the best of luck for being a dad as his wife was due in July and then returned to my seat for the second act.

 

 

Second act shows were:

Top Hat, Performing Genghis Khan (Germany 1979)

Viva Forever!, performing This is the Night (Malta 2012)

Billy Elliot, performing I Can (United Kingdom 2011)

Wicked, Performing Wir Geben 'Ne Party (Germany 1994)

 

Top Hat, was up first and they did a great rendition of Genghis Khan with Alex Gaumond performing as Genghis and acting out the song in a great and acrobatic way! It was the performance that I got some good snaps of! 



 

Then Viva Forever, allowing the men of the cast to perform up front in This is the Night, and showing off the amazing body they get from dancing every night, must admit the theme of the night was show as much skin as you can in many of the performances, especially legs...but yeah although there indent kind of gave the audience a little bit of awkwardness having just found out that the show was to close at the end of June and there indent was one that showed the show going on to perform for 63 years and the original cast were to remain in it. they showed how un-phased they were and got the audience going! and seeing that they have talent and the voice!



Then up came the Big Reunion parody group 'Turquoise boys' from Billy Elliot who performed boy band Blue's Song 'I Can' and boy can they I Can with the classic cheesiness of a boy band performance and the dramatic hand movements and posing, with the old lady videoing them. But they also brought out surprises with a little Ant and Dec 'Lets get ready to Rumble' and Margret Thatcher appearance, they received a standing ovation much deserved!

Then Last but not least Wicked performing a German Eurovision song, with wacky afros, and 70s attire they were boogying on the dance floor in a theme of a after hours club. although it was enjoyable to watch, it wasn't one to stand out in the performance in my opinion. 



 

So the performances had finished and it was now to the points board, first was the best video indent which had been voted by the public before the show and the winner was much deserved Phantom of the Opera (http://youtu.be/l9lrOybVTkU ) then on to the performance scores, and each of the 2 judges from each show came and gave their points for scoreboard. The High favourite and the end of point giving was Once, but then it was onto the audience text votes, and we were giving 10 minutes for our opinion and during this we had a special appearance of Katrina, from Katrina and the Waves and post Eurovision winner singing Love Shine a Light, and then the classic Walking on Sunshine, which had everyone out of their seats, and dancing in the aisle singing! a great performance to get us ready for the winner.

 

And so at the end of all the performances and the points tallied up our winner was...

Once! and a much deserved win too! and amazing that I had just seen the show that evening, (like to think I was a good luck charm!) they were all surprised and raced and jumped onto the stage to retrieve their trophy and then give a finale of their versions of All Kinds Of Everything! which was given a standing ovation throughout! it was just so greatly presented and got the audience roaring!

And so ended the West End Eurovision, and with everyone leaving the only place to go was to the stage door, where everyone was celebrating and hanging out, and a chance for autographs and photos, first up I got Christopher Biggins (who was there presenting awards) and then Katrina from Katrina and the Waves.

Then a quick slide in to chat to Gok Wan!(also there to present awards and discuss what the charity did) who was so nice just like he is on telly!

And then the last two photos I go were with the cast of Rock of Ages! below in the group photo, is Dan Fletcher, Jodie Jacobs, and Natalie Andreou. Then with Tim Driesen underneath.

 

Everyone was hanging out backstage and Once were still celebrating and playing instruments in the alley, we got some more autographs from the ones we didn't get to see at the stage door before on the programme of the show, and many of them remembered us when we met them before which was really nice, then sadly I couldn't get any photos but I quickly ran in front of the Spamalot gang (who came in a deserved 4th) to get their autographs and have a quick chat. So with all this meeting of some of my favourite performers at the end of the night my programme looked like this.

 

Quite a success if I say so my self!

 

West End Eurovision is a night I shall remember, and I am thankful that I stumbled upon that video in January to allow me to attend such a enjoyable and fun evening! even if you aren't a fan of West End, or you haven't seen all the shows, or maybe your just a fan of the Eurovision I highly recommend this show, and its for a good cause that you are helping. Can't wait to get tickets for next years! cause yes I am going!!! 





'I Love You'...'Ditto' - Ghost the Musical- New Wimbledon Theatre, London. 9.05.13

 

On a Monday whilst driving I received a text from a friend, asking what days I was free the following week, when I replied she gave me the invitation on going to see 'Ghost the Musical' currently on tour at The Wimbledon Theatre, London.  To which I accepted with great enthusiasm, so on a very windy Thursday 9th May we set off to see the evening performance.

 



 

This was my first time visiting the Wimbledon Theatre, having only seen it as a venue for most of the touring leading musicals and plays, and I always imagined it to be quite big, but once again was surprised and how petite it actually was. Thanks to the Travelzoo deal with ticket prices of £22, when taking our seats they were great! We were in the Dress Circle Row B 11 and 12 which was centre and had a great view of the stage, and enabled us to see the whole stage, and I think the centre the better to allow you to see some of the effects used in this production, and being high can help too!

 

'Ghost the Musical' is based on Paramount Pictures film written by Bruce Joel Robin which starred the Legendary Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.  Bruce Joel Robin wrote the script also for the musical and teamed up with Dave Steward, and Glen Ballard to create the lyrics, who produced the music also. This well known love story is of Sam Wheat, and Mollie Jensen a couple in love that its sickly! They move to an apartment together in the big city, Sam a high up banker, and Mollie an inspiring artist dream of a life together forever.  Yet a terrible event which leads to the death of Sam, and he continues on in the living world as a spirit, a ghost, as the cause of his death leads him to finding out who his true friends are, and now he must avenge his death and protect Mollie with the help of a spirit communicator Oda Mae Brown.

 

The story is not much different from the film, and it is lead the same way having been written by the same writer of the film, but with the addition of the songs within the story, the script is also very different from that of the film. The audience that loved the film can come and see a whole different approach to the story and view it in a new light to allow you to enjoy it to a whole different level. This was something I was worried that would happen, from seeing the musical 'Dirty Dancing' last year which follows the film word for word and scene by scene I came out of the show thinking 'well I could of just watched the DVD and been happy' but 'Ghost' that brought new songs, that were sung by the whole cast, made me come away thinking 'WOW' the thing was Dirty Dancing didn't bring any new songs to the story which I understand as the music in the film was good enough to put in the show, but the difference to 'Ghost' was the song brought so much more to the story with bran new music and lyrics to help bring emotion to the story so much more than just words, and through past studies during my University years I researched that when someone listens to music, you become so much more interested and enjoy a lot more than script.  Bruce Joel Robin says:

 

"In Films you have close-ups, and that's one of the ways you take the audience on the characters' inner journeys.  With a musical, you don't have close -ups; the songs are your close-ups, the songs are what draw you into the heart of this story, and we've benefitted from working with a pair of extraordinary musicians, Dave Steward, and Glen Ballard. Together, they have entered the emotional life of the story and turned into song. there's something about seeing the story onstage in contrast to film.  the emotions are surprisingly heightened."

 

could have not put it better myself.

 

With the challenge of turning the film to a brand new musical, the next step would be how can they create the presence of a ghost who walks through walls, goes through people on to the stage, and let me tell you, they pulled it off, BIG TIME! the visuals were incredible, and if I could tell you how they did it I just feel that it would take away the magic from the show so I'm not going to go to into it too much cause you have to see it for yourselves! Though again through years of studying theatre and drama it wasn't hard not to recognise that physical theatre company 'Frantic Assembly' were used to help created the movement pieces for the role of Sam and how he portrayed himself as a ghost walking through humans etc, and the choreography that was used in the subway scene. 

 

 

Like most tours as I have said it is very rare to have a lot of understudies, and this performance was no different having all the main principle characters except for one of Oda Mae Browns sisters. The cast was as follows:

 

Sam Wheat- Stuart Clarke

Molly Jenson - Rebecca Trehearn

Oda Mae Brown - Wendy Mae Brown (no joke that is her last name)

Carl Bruner - David Roberts

Willie Lopez - Ivan De Freitas

Subway Ghost - Stevie Hutchingson

Clara - Karlene Wray

Louise - Kimmy Edwards (understudy)

 

 

First of the romantic couple, the chemistry between both Rebecca, and Stuart was convincible, and you could tell that their relationship was strong and comfortable with each other and the audience could tell. Stuart I loved so much! He really got the emotion and frustration that Sam would have felt with his longing for Mollie, and the drive to get his revenge of his death and make things safe for her, to protect from danger in any way possible, his voice also was not one to dislike...and his body....well you will just have to see for yourself. Rebecca having understudied for Mollie during his run on the West End again was very good, and again demonstrated well the emotions one would face with the loss of a loved one, and expressed it well for us all to feel, though I felt that her American accent could have been better, but her voice was beautiful, and I loved her solo 'With You' which is one of my favourite songs.

 

Now Whoopi Goldberg would defiantly be proud of Wendy Mae Brown, who performs Oda Mae, and does her justice, she had the audience in stitches with her rendition of the Oda Mae and you fell in love with her as soon as she walked onto the stage, she had the true Whoopi attitude, and the face, and attitude to get what she wanted...even if she did accidently rip the cheque of 10 million dollars while giving it to the charity...she covered it well.

 

I was lucky to meet Stuart Clarke after the show, and got a quick pic and autograph, and later a nice little tweet too :) below is the photo, like I said it was very windy so I look terrible next to a handsome Stuart!

 

If you love the film like I do, you will love the musical! so its a Must see for any ladies out there! At the moment its on tour, so you will have to check the website to see the venues and what is close by, I know it is coming to The Mayflower, Southampton in October, November time, so I may just have to see how its done in a larger theatre compared to the Wimbledon and how the experience differs and see if my mother would come along to so I get to see it again, because I really would love to see it again! 

'I Don't Tell Lies' - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, 25.4.13 Apollo Theatre, London.

After 4 days apart I returned once more to the wonderful sunny city of London, this time to go and see the Matinee showing of the National Theatres newest production 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'

Playing at the Apollo Theatre with many seats going for £12, it was hard to say no to a chance to see this amazing play, and to be honest if you want to get the full effect of the performance then high is best than down below in the stalls, as you get the full stage view of what is happening within the play. Myself and my friend, were seated front row of the Balcony number 11 and 10 and although we had to lean against the edge we had a great view, with only minor restriction to the back wall, but like I said high is good, and if I was to splash out for this performance again I would go for the dress circle rather than go for the Stalls just so you are raised and can see the amazing layout of the Train set that Christopher creates in act 1.

the stage adaption written by Simon Stephens Curious is based on the best selling novel. that is a murder mystery like no other. The Detective and Narrator (but in this case the writer of the play, as the narrator in the play is that of the teacher) is none other than Christopher, who is fifteen (and 3 months and 3 days) and has Asperger's Syndrome.  He knows a lot about maths and very little about those around him.  He loves lists, patterns, and the truth. He does not like the colours yellow and brown and does not wished to be touched.  He loves the safety of his own home, and never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he discovers his neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will end up turning his whole world upside down.

I loved the book, having read it whilst attending secondary school and today most schools now have it as a set text (and during this performance we actually had a school trip attend from a English class), and at this moment in time working at my place of work which is a support worker for those with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, I was so happy I got the chance to see this play, as not only is it an insight into the mind of someone who could have Asperger's Syndrome, but I could relate to Christopher and the those around him that he meets on the way.  However Mark Haddon the writer of the Novel never wished to show that it was Asperger's that Christopher suffered from as in the program he statesm"I've always regretted that the phrase Asperger's syndrome appeared on the cover of Curious incident when it was first published" though from interviews and behind the scenes of the plays directors and performers they go to say that they are stating Christopher does have Asperger's in this production.  In my opinion I believe the play does this so well, that it is hard to be angry at them and find a fault, they do it justice and show the Syndrome with such respect that it has had people come to the stage door in smiles stating that they can see their children who have Asperger's and have allowed them to see it in a whole new light, and to help them through to learn more, and improve their children's live.

The thing about Christopher's character is we can all relate to him, and although he is branded with this syndrome, while watching the play we can all see a little bit of ourselves in him. As everyone has a way of how they do something, or how something has to be placed.  I myself alphabetise my DVDs and colour code my wardrobe...it this gets messy or one of them is not in the right place...it does irritate me.  Also I cant stand sales in shopping stores I find them messy and I don't like having to search for something it hurts my head and I have to get out (sometimes that's the case for some Primark's in my area again too messy).  Mark Haddon goes to explain when creating Christopher:

"As it happens, when I was putting Christopher together, I drew upon a long list of beliefs, habits, quirks, and behaviours which I borrowed from friends and acquaintances and members of my own family. it would be unfair of me to name the person who can't eat a plate of food if the broccoli and the salmon are touching, of the person who can't use the toilet if a stranger has used it. suffice to say that neither of them would be labelled as having a disability. which is only to say that Christopher is not that different from the rest of us. its the number and combination of this eccentricities which cause him his difficulties." (Haddon 2012)  

it just says it all really, so even though in the play they have declared that Christopher has Asperger's, just think what does that truly mean...?


Now onto the play itself.

First off Staging:

This was my view from the balcony, I may have zoomed in a tad but like I said before being up in those seats we just miss a tad bit of the top from the back wall, however nothing is lost.  The stage is almost set up almost like a grid (as Christopher loves maths this is quite understandable) and during this that lighting and special effects create the neighbour hood, mind maps, and a subway and space.
visually the production is stunning (and its not surprise that they won that Oliver Award for best staging) but its the performers who make it all that more amazing, and create the scenes in the performing space through physical theatre, with them they help create these places in the scenes without them they would be standing in an empty space.

The story within the play was quite true to the script to that of the book, and reading the book once more at this moment in time, you can really see how Simon Stephens didn't want to loose to much of the cunningness of Christopher, with only a few bits in the book that he missed that wasn't needed.  What I loved and realised after viewing the production, was during act 1 the focus of the production was the murder mystery book that Christopher was writing about Wellington (the murdered dog), and throughout the teacher reads from it about the investigation, it also the focus when Christopher wishes to retrieve it back from his father who took it from him in hope that it would stop him from 'meddling into other peoples business', at the end of Act 1 the teacher comes to Christopher and tells him that the head teacher of his 'special' school wishes to put on the play, she suggests that they should perform Christopher's story. He replies no.
However in act 2, you see slowly traits of a play coming into the performance for example, while he finally goes to his mother flat, he quickly corrects his mother and her partner that what they are doing was wrong and did not happen, stating that it was her that gave him the drink, and she was more angry when she spoke than what she was doing when the partner handed him the drink.  So in other words he was 'directing' them. Also when Christopher wishes to tell how he solved the maths problem from his exam the teacher goes on to tell him that maybe the 'audience' doesn't wish to hear how he solved it, and to help him get out of his strop she suggest that if they wish to see the answer that they can stay after the curtain call, so they break character and are stating they are performing at this time. But the biggest notice is that he states at the end that "he wrote the book, and put on the play..."  So Act 1 was focused on the book, and Act 2 turned out to be a play within a play so to speak.

We had no understudies in this performance, and I was so thankful for it! the cast was as follows:

Christopher Boone - Luke Treadaway (winner of Best Actor at the Oliver's)

Sioben - Niamh Cusack

Ed- Sean Gleeson

Judy - Holly Aird (winner of Best Actress at the Olivers)

 

 

All other parts were played by the Ensemble with the likings of

Sophie Duval, Nick Sidi, Matthew Barker, Rhiannon Harper-Rafferety, Howard Moon.

 

And even Toby (Christopher's Pet Rat)

Audrey or Marilyn.

 

the ensemble together were great, and really created the story and allowed it to flow creating different and various characters in a swift and convincing way and it was lovely to see Frantic Assembly (physical theatre company) help make this production and teach the ensemble just what can be produced, and expressed through the arts of our bodies, such as creating bed, and showing the frantic, and business of a underground and train station through swift and beautiful movement of that of the human body. (when you see it you will understand.)

 

The other principles also created a wonderful performance, Sean, and Holly who played the roles of Ed and Judy in other words mother and father of Christopher really demonstrated in a lovely and understanding way of how a parent of a child with Asperger's would most likely be.  You could really tell how hard it is, but how much they really loved Christopher and longed to hold him, but would only get the small touch of a hand, throughout the play you have mixed emotions for them also, you love, you hate, you sympathise with them, and you could really feel their frustration yet love at the same time. Holy won Best Actress at the Oliver's, and I hope she share it with Sean cause they both deserve their recognition for such an amazing performance.

 

The role of the Teacher Siobhan was performed by Niamh, who is described as the narrator of the story especially in act 1 where she is reading mostly from the book that he has written. But also Christopher's conscience in many parts of the play, having worked with Christopher at school you can see how much she has influenced him, and how she has assisted him through day to day life (this is the role I can mostly relate to with my line of work I am doing now, I can really see the bond that she has with Chris with those I have with my client in my job) and when Christopher steps out of the comfort of his own home you hear her helping him in his mind to get him through step by step especially in the underground scene, and shows just how much influence she has on him.

 

Luke Treadaway, wow just wow is all I can say and rightly deserved his Best Actor Award at the Oliver's.  From watching him in interviews and then watching him on stage, when he becomes Christopher he really does become a whole new person, and he again is the main reason why this play shows Asperger's Syndrome in such a respectful way.  He must have studied hard and worked with those who had Asperger's to give it justice, with his constant fidgeting, and mind moving, the way he pronounced and said his lines were all spot on, that you just loose yourself in his performance and you can't take your eyes off him.

 

This is a must see play, and I have recommended it to everyone I know, especially those in my line of work, and you can really relate to the play even if it is just one minor bit, you will say to yourself 'yea I know how they feel' or 'yea I do that that!' if you want to splash out and buy tickets that are in the stalls or in the dress circle, but don't be put of by £12 and think they will be crappy seats, cause they aren't! I also believe that if I was to see this production again I would most likely find something else that I have missed from the previous viewing, it really is a play that keeps on giving! GO SEE!



'Sometimes You Have To Be A Little Bit Naughty' - Matilda the Musical, 20.4.13 The Cambridge Theatre, London.

20th of April I headed up with my Best Friend for a day out in my favourite place ever! London. Again I was going back to the west end after 2 months of parting.  After being tourists and visiting the London Dungeons early that morning, a little stroll around the city in the lovely sunny weather, dinner and a quick drink in the pub, it was off to the Cambridge Theatre to the Royal Shakespeare Company 'Matilda The Musical.'

The playbook Written by Dennis Kelly, and music and lyrics by comedian Tim Minchin, the story is based on the Roald Dahl's Children's book it tells the story of a little girl, ill treated by her parents, and misunderstood by all except a few who truly see who she really is.  As Matilda has a gift, and so much intelligence. she loved to read, and especially loved stories, and when she attends school at Miss Trunchball's School, a school run by a horrible headmistress who lives by rules and discipline, it is Matilda's teacher Miss Honey, who see's her as she truly is, a girl who helps those who are around her, her classmates, and her teacher, making sure things are put right the way they should. "...And if its not right, You've got to put it right!"

I never myself read the book as a child (but now I kind of want to) but I had watched the film starring Danny DeVito, and Mara Wilson. The theatre I believe takes a whole new take on the story, including the classic moments such as, the Newt in the water, and the tricks she plays on her father, and of course her special magical gift, but the theatre makes it all so much more, in the program Dennis Kelly states "one of the great things about Matilda in the novel is her love of books. its infectious...I began to feel that we needed to expand her love of books into love of stories...There are two types of grown-ups in Matilda - the ones who love stories and the ones who don't. Mr and Mrs Wormwood and the Trunchbull hate Stories. They are irritated by them and threatened by them - they think they are a waste of time and energy-and as characters they are generally mean, irritating and sometimes quite stupid. Mrs Phelps and Miss Honey, on the other hand love stories" The main focus of this production is Stories, and throughout they are shown by Matilda, and you can see the difference from those who love and hate stories, as when she attempts to tell her mother a story she immediately shuts her up and shouts over her to stop her from talking, yet when Matilda is in the library Mrs Phelps loves to listen Matilda's story and gets upset when Matilda doesn't finish.

The story for the Musical is beautifully set out, Tim Minchin's music just adds that little bit extra to this special story, and Tim Minchin says 'I think theatre should always aim to make its audience laugh and cry, unless there's a really good reason why not.  Stories are best when they are a bit like roller coasters, with highs and lows, twists and turns, a good bit of fear and the significant risk that someone might vomit. Matilda has all these things making it the perfect story for a stage musical. songs allow us to make those highs soar even higher, and those lows seem even darker and the turns even twistier and the ending all the more satisfying." You can defiantly tell that it is Tim Minchin Telly' they songs are so enjoyable and the children perform it so well.  My dissertation at university was based on the adaptation from Film to Musical, and research and a lot of words demonstrated that going to the musical is much more enjoyable to view than that of the film, because music can effect us in such a good way that it enlightens us and enables us to enjoy the experience so much more than sitting in a cinema. Matilda shows this completely, and the music just makes the story so much more magical that both adults, and children can enjoy!

So that's the story, and creators views now onto the production, and my views!

This was the first time that I have visit the Cambridge Theatre, having past it many times when Chicago was running, (one of the longest running shows at that theatre) and being based in the 6 Corners of London I wasn't expecting it to be as big as it was.  I was placed in the upper circle, being that Matilda hasn't been running for too long, it is still a high demand musical and prices are quite high for best seats like in the stalls, upper circle is ranged from 35 to 25 pounds, seats in the stalls are 70 to 65.  However placed in for G seats 19 and 20 and our view was not restrictive and we were able to see the whole stage.

 

The only downside from being up high, and not down in the stalls of front row of the Upper and Dress Circle or the Stalls was you missed a lot of the performers coming out into the audience (as the 4th wall is broken throughout the productions) and what happened when Trunchball walks out into the audience, and the scene where she grabs the girl by the pigtails, so when if you have the money then sitting in the stalls would be best, but don't feel the need to as I enjoyed it all the same being in the upper circle.

 

From the photo the staging was very 'square' and was kind of seen as a scrabble board in some ways, with blocks with different letters, and if you look carefully hidden are some words which was fun to look for during interval.  The different settings for each of the scenes flowed so swiftly, from the book cases, to the desks for the classroom coming from the floor all the squares fitted together like a puzzle, and anything else that needed adding such as the chalk board, and living room chairs were brought on by the cast neatly, and believably you understand that they are actually in the living room, or classroom...its amazing what your imagination can do, and I have a feeling that is what the director and writers wanted you to do with Matilda, use that noggin and like in a book to create the visual of the story you use your imagination!

 

We were very lucky for this performance as we had all lead principles playing except for one understudy. The cast this was:

 Mrs Wormwood - Annette McLaughlin

Mr Wormwood - Steve Furst

Michael Wormwood - Nick Searle

Mrs Phelps - Melanie La Barrie

Miss Honey - Hayley Flahety

Miss Trunchbull - David Leonard

Doctor/ The Escapologist - Tommy Sherlock (Understudy)

And our Matilda that night was played by:

Lucy Mae Beacock.

 

Sadly I was unaware of what children played which roles for the other students such as Bruce and Lavender, though I must say each and everyone of them were so amazing, and my best friend also agrees as when asked if she wanted to put any input into this blog the first thing she said was 'the kids were AMAZING!', Im so jealous of their talent, and what they are doing as I myself would have loved to have done that as a kid, they performed so professionally and it was hard to tell who were the adults and who were the kids! The only thing that was a downer was during 'Miracle' I felt I had to listen harder to understand what they were singing and seemed a bit messy and too quick, but when my ears adjusted all the rest of the songs I was able to enjoy especially the 'School Song'

 

Lucy Mae Beacock is such a little star, and stole the show, she was confident, acted in such a manor that it was second nature, and her voice was beautiful! How she learned all her songs, lines, cues, and dance moves I don't know but she pulled it off well, and I loved watching her.  Parents Mrs and Mr Wormwood played by Annette McLaughlin, and Steve Furst (who is probably the well known of the cast having been in Little Britain, the Orange Wednesday Adverts, and a few British movies, he also attended my past University of Winchester, so he gets brownie points right there!) were a great couple, though I don't think you need an amazing voice to play these roles as there songs don't hold much of a note to them, but playing the role and portraying the character is very important, and both actors did this swimmingly! Micheal included though he said very little, he made the audience laugh, and that's all that mattered in making sure he played him well!

 

Mrs Phelps the library manager was a lovely character played by Melanie La Barrie, she was the character that helped show how much stories were important to the story, and was always there to listen to Matilda's stories and always wanting to know what happens next, she doesn't have a solo in this but her presence on stage, and what she stood for was very important to the story, she was funny, and a character you enjoy, and eveytime she would egg on Matilda to carry on with the story of the escapologist and the acrobatic you knew that the rest of the audience was right behind her! Miss Honey played by Hayley Flatley, had a strong yet petite voice which was perfect for the character, she was sweet, and innocent and yet towards the end she demonstrated how Matilda had influenced her and helped her grow stronger and stand up for herself...and she could dance! You could tell that she loved working with the kids, as a teacher and as the actor.

 

Mrs Trunchball, the villain of the story, took a leaf out of 'Hairspray' and chose a male actor to portray the role in the performance, David Leonard was part of the original cast of Matilda, and still stays strong today, I think the reason behind choosing a male to portray Mrs Trunchball is to show how masculine and strong willed she really is, and I don't think any female could demonstrate that as well as a male could, I believe anyway, unless it was the actress who played her in the film version it would be very hard to match up to her.  But David was great! I really loved him, when ever he was on stage you couldn't take your eyes of him, his facial expressions, his looming presence, he made us laugh, he made us gasp and sometimes I really believed that the children or Maggots as Mrs Trunchball would say, were afraid of him, and although he was male, you don't see that he just turns into the character and you can't think of him any other way!

 

One thing I really loved about this show was the curtain call, it was done in such a unique and fun way that I would have loved to have done it!  They all come out in scooters, and each was individually personalised for their character! It really was a great way to end the show, especially as Matilda and the children took their last bow and you see Mrs Trunchball flying across the stage with one final line of 'Maggots!' it was the icing on the cake so to speak!

 

I highly recommend this show, its for everyone, and if you loved the book or film as a child then you will love it more live on stage and if your an adult. Its one for the family to take your kids to, or just with your mates or partner, I know next time I will try and get seats in the stalls, but hopefully soon there maybe some offers going but I don't think it will be too soon!

 

 

 



You Can't Stop The Beat! - Hairspray on Tour. 14.04.13, The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

 

 

 

On the 14th of April I was off to the theatre once again to go and see the matinee showing at 2.30 on a lovely chilly Sunday, this was for a work outing and so I was placed at the back of the stalls, and although it was far back I was able to view every bit of the stage!

 

The Story of 'Hairspray' is set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland during when integration was just a wishful dream in the USA, the 'pleasantly plump' Teenager from her slumber to a new day in Baltimore! Though at school she is not one of the popular kids, she longs for fame on the Teenager TV Show 'The Corny Collins Show" where she can dance along side heart throb Link, and bully Amber Von Tussle, and share her love for it to the whole state! luckily a the chance to audition appears and Tracy is dying to audition and with the reluctance of her mother Edna Turnblad, and the encouragement of her father Wilbur, Tracy goes ahead and cuts school to audition and when she arrives she meets Ambers mother Velma Von Tussle, to whom takes an immediate disliking to Tracy resulting in her not getting the part.

 

But this doesn't stop Tracy, as she goes on to wow Corny Collins himself at a dance at school with the moves she learnt from Seaweed during Detention at school (which she got from cutting school because of the audition) and to which she succeeds in getting the position on the show! Overnight she becomes a Celebrity and a likely winner to Miss Hairspray to Ambers disgust, and even maybe winning the heart of Link! All is going well until she launches a campaign to integrate the show with the kids from negro day to dance all together at the mother daughter show which leads to Tracy on the run from the law and everyone is fighting to keep her safe.  Though there is a happy ending... but that would be giving it away.

Again I have seen the film of 'Hairspray' before I have seen the theatre, and like 'Rock of Ages' do not go into the theatre thinking you will see the film, as the story line is a different story to that of the stage, with some parts that are same, but its a new experience to that of the film.
 

 

 

Again The Mayflower exceeds in the staging, with no limitations to what they had on the west end! Its such a bonus having a large quality theatre near by when these sorts of shows go on tour, you just know your going to get that west end feel! The staging and light ran smoothly and care free!

 

Now onto the cast, being the tour we were lucky to not have any understudies in this performance and all the principles were in! The cast is as follows

 

Edna Turnblad - Mark Benton

Velma Von Tussle - Lucy Benjamin

Seaweed J Stubbs - Marcus Collins

Tracy Turnblad - Freya Sutton

Motormouth Maybelle - Sandra Marvin

Corny Collins - Josh Piteman

Wilbur Turnblad - Paul Rider

Link Larkin - Luke Striffler

Amber Von Tussle - Gemma Sutton

Penny Pingleton - Laura Hood 

 

 

All the cast worked well together and had great chemistry on the set. Mark Benton known for his role in 'Waterloo Road' was great as Edna Turnblad (who is always played by a male in drag in memory of the first actor who played Edna, Divine) and played the role of a loving plump mother wonderful, highlights have to be 'Welcome to the 60s' but especially 'Your Timeless to Me' with Paul Rider playing Wilbur, it was just beautifully done that had the audience in stitches of laughter, and with the slight kiss at the end and the audience whooping in the audience led Mark to have a small break in character and a little giggle which just made it all the more unique for us in the audience (sort of like the way you feel when you go and see 'Spamalot') and allows you to see that the actors are really enjoying themselves. Theatre debutees Freya Sutton, as Tracy and X Factor Finalist Marcus Sutton as Seaweed hit the stage, Freya shows a strong presence on stage, but I felt it took me a while to warm up to her, but her dancing skills were right up Tracy's ability! Marcus Sutton had a great voice, and he did his songs superbly...yet his acting wasn't his strong point which is understandably, he was very static in some on the scenes and where Seaweed is a confident strong black protagonist I didn't think he really showed him in this way. Heart throb Link played by Luke Striffler had the looks, dance skills, and a good voice, yet again I took a while to warm to him (maybe its cause of Zac Efron plays him in the film? and I don't know how you can compare to that in some ways?).

I had wanted to see this show since it first came out, I would have loved to have taken my Nana to see it as I knew that it was one that she had wanted to see at the West End. I was very glad that when it left the West End that it wasn't the end of 'Hairspray' and it carried bringing its happiness on tour around the country and I was able to see it. I'm a bit unsure on whether I would go and see it again if it came back on tour, or back to the West End, suppose it would depend on who the cast was if it does come back.

But Hairspray is one for all, even children I don't think couldn't be disappointed with this show, and its so brightly colourful and when you leave you are left happy and smiling all the way home!